b'COVER FOCUS: Safety & Security THE FASTESTAre youGROWING strategically serving theHOMELESS mentally ill?POPULATIONI n the 1980s I was a young college kid, working the third shift at Seattles by Eric Burger Union Gospel Mission. My job was simple: Do not let drunk people in unless it is below 32 degrees.This one night in December was a very cold and wet night. The mission was in overflow (all 400 beds full, 200 people on mats) and every bench was full. Late into the night, a man came to the door wearing aviator goggles and a heavy overcoat. I let him in and went to find a place for him to sit. As soon as I turned around, he was gone, his coat tossed on the floor.\x0232 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025'